THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Please sit down. Please be
seated. Thank you all. Thanks for coming. Good afternoon and welcome
to the White House. I'm honored to join you at this important annual
event.

Since the Continental Congress sat in Philadelphia, America has,
from time to time, set aside a national day of prayer. Under a law
signed by President Ronald Reagan, that day comes every year on the
first Thursday in May. That would be today. (Laughter.)

Today, in our Nation's Capital and around the country, we pause to
acknowledge our reliance on almighty God, to join in gratitude for His
blessings, and to seek His guidance in our lives and for our nation.

Prayer and songs of praise go together, and we're really thankful
this afternoon for the beautiful music of the Washington Bach Consort,
led by J. Reilly Lewis. Thank you all for being here. (Applause.)
And we are thankful for the voice of Beth Cram Porter. I mean, what a
voice. (Laughter and applause.) Thank you. We are as grateful, as
well, to all the organizers of the National Day of Prayer, and
especially for the gracious leadership of Shirley Dobson. We're also
glad you brought Jim with you. (Laughter and applause.)

Colonel Oliver North is the 2004 National Day of Prayer Honorary
Chairman. Thank you for taking on the job. I appreciate it.
(Applause.) I appreciate Dr. Barry Black, the Chaplain of the United
States Senate. I asked him if he had any one liners before I came up
here. (Laughter.) I appreciate Father Daniel Coughlin, who will join
us shortly. And, Rabbi, thank you for coming. Rabbi Weinreb, I'm
honored that you're here. I appreciate your reading. I also want to
welcome Vonette Bright, the former National Day of Prayer Task Force
Chairman. Vonette, we're honored you're with us. Thank you for
coming.

At so many crucial points in the life of America, we have been a
nation at prayer. Abraham Lincoln, from this house, called the nation
to prayer in the darkest days of the Civil War. Franklin Roosevelt, 60
years ago on D-Day, led the nation in prayer over the radio, asking for
God to watch over our sons in battle.

A prayerful spirit has always been a central part of our national
tradition, and it remains a vital part of our national character.
Americans of every faith and every tradition turn daily to God in
reverence and humility. We bring our cares to Him knowing He is our
help in ages past, our hope for years to come. It was Lincoln who
called Americans "the almost chosen people." (Laughter.) At that
word, "almost" makes quite a difference. (Laughter.)

Americans do not presume to equate God's purposes with any purpose
of our own. God's will is greater than any man, or any nation built by
men. He works His will. He finds His children within every culture
and every tribe. And while every human enterprise must end, His
kingdom will have no end. Our part, our calling is to align our hearts
and action with God's plan, in so far as we can know it. A humble
heart is not an indifferent heart. We cannot be neutral in the face of
injustice or cruelty or evil. God is not on the side of any nation,
yet we know He is on the side of justice. And it is the deepest
strength of America that from the hour of our founding, we have chosen
justice as our goal.

Our greatest failures as a nation have come when we lost sight of
that goal: in slavery, in segregation, and in every wrong that has
denied the value and dignity of life. Our finest moments have come
when we have faithfully served the cause of justice for our own
citizens, and for the people of other lands. And through our nation's
history, we have turned to prayer for wisdom to know the good, and for
the courage to do the good.

Many people in every age have made the same request of the wise and
the holy: teach us to pray. One of the answers begins with "Our
Father who art in Heaven." That answer has guided people through two
millennia. In that example, we learn to give praise where it is due.
We recognize that all that we have and all that we are come as gifts,
and it is natural to be grateful to the Giver.

Americans, on this National Day of Prayer, are thankful. We're
thankful for our freedom, for so many blessings, large and small, and
we're thankful for this wonderful land we call home.

In prayer, we offer petitions, because the Maker of the Universe
knows our cares and our needs. For our nation today, the need is
great, as young men and women face danger in our defense, for the sake
of freedom, and for the sake of peace. We pray that God's hand will
protect them and deliver them safely home. We pray for the loved ones
who anxiously await their return. And we pray for the families that
have known great loss, that they might receive God's peace in the midst
of their sadness.

Prayer also teaches us to trust, to accept that God's plan unfolds
in His time, not our own; that trust is not always easy, as we discover
in our own lives, but trust is the source of ultimate confidence. We
affirm that all of life, and all of history, rests entirely on the
character of our creation and our Creator. And His love and His mercy
extend to all and endure forever.